Sophomore Lindsay Matthews died Sunday from injuries sustained in an accident on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Matthews, 19, was walking along Route 63 when she was struck by the rear of an tractor-trailer before 10 a.m. Initial news reports indicated the truck had been traveling at a high rate of speed, but that statement has since been recanted. The driver, Wayne Dalrymple, will not face charges.

After being hit, Matthews was immediately transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester where she remained in guarded condition until she was taken off life support Sunday morning.

Matthews was a communicative disorders and sciences major. Linda House, chair of the department, described her as an "excellent student" and "very bright." Matthews achieved a 4.0 grade point average last semester and was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma honor society.

"She was clearly in the top 5 percent of the students that we had," said communicative disorders and sciences professor Dale Metz.

Roommate Adrienne Koder said Matthews had hoped to work one-on-one with children in a clinic or club after graduation. This past summer, Matthews worked at Buffalo Speech and Hearing Center, where she worked with young inner-city children. She was also involved with the Boys and Girls Club of America and assisted her mother with her in-home daycare.

An accomplished athlete, Matthews played soccer during her four years at Orchard Park High School and was a starting defender for the Geneseo women's soccer team. She was also a volunteer coach for several youth teams. Matthews danced for many years, and enjoyed reading novels; her favorite author was Nicholas Sparks.

Annie Smith, Matthews' friend, said, "Everyone that met her had so much respect for her." She recalled her uncanny ability to meet someone once and call them a friend.

"Lindsay was always striving to be better at everything she did and usually succeeded," Smith said of Matthews' laudable personality.

Matthews' friends described her as very upbeat and always caring for others.

"She would come back and ask us each about our weekends first thing, without fail," said sophomore Kelly Tichacek. Her suitemates described her as idyllic in many ways and suitemate sophomore Becky DeSantis said she was "that girl that every girl wants to be."